Amy Schumer Shares Video of Her Dad's Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
Watching a parent go through the challenges of chronic illness and any treatments they may be receiving is full of ups and downs. Amy Schumer revealed just how emotional it can be when your parent has “a good day.”
The comedian posted a video on Instagram yesterday of her dad, Gordon, standing with the help of an assistive device. Gordon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Amy was 12.
“We haven’t stood next to each other in a while,” Amy says, hugging her dad.
The song “Aime” by Pure Prairie League can be heard in the background. Gordon tells his doctors he named Amy after that song.
Schumer has been open about her dad’s health before — she wrote about it in her book, “The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo” and has posted about him on Instagram before.
In an interview with People ahead of the release of her 2015 movie “Trainwreck,” in which her character’s father also has MS, Schumer said while sometimes her dad is “really good” and joking around, other days are difficult for him and painful for her to watch.
“In terms of my dad being sick, it was just confusing to me, especially the way MS works,” Schumer said. “He was in physical pain. That’s when I kind of took the lead and took care of everybody in my family. I would keep them – I would keep everybody laughing.”
While watching your parent live with a chronic illness can be challenging, being a parent with a chronic health condition has its difficulties as well. We asked our Mighty community to share the truth about parenting with a chronic illness. Here’s what they had to say:
1. “Being a parent with a chronic illness is living with the fear that you are not physically and emotionally present enough for your child(ren). Being a parent is also why I wake up every day and continue to fight even on the days when getting out of bed is the only thing I can accomplish that day.”
2. “It’s simultaneously my savior, the reason I get up every day despite the pain and fatigue, and the dark shadow reminding me that I’ll never be that healthy mom who goes to every event, or runs with him in the park. That some days, weeks or months in the hospital without him are often times more painful than the flare itself. Parenting is hard on top of chronic illness, but I’m so grateful that I have him to keep me grounded, I don’t know what I’d do without that love.”
3. “It’s horrible and exhausting and hard at all the same time! But now later in life seeing how sweet my sons have become! How much they care! And what wonderful men they will become because of the life they have to live with there mummy being so sick and tired all the time.”
4. “Good and bad. Some days I wish I had the strength and energy to do more, especially because I have a 4-year-old boy. Other days when I have more energy, I try my best to do most of what will bring him joy for that day. It’s tough.”
5. “It’s not easy on them and I know that. They have sacrificed a lot in their young lives that kids with healthy moms have never had to think about. They have never know what it was like to have a mom who was able to rough house with them, or had the strength to carry them every time they asked… But on the other side, they are my daily motivation to continually fight my illness. To try everything in my power to give them the best memories they can have with me possible because in the end that is all I can do.”
6. “It is amazing to see the pure innocence and empathy of children. When they know you are hurting or ill and they try to take care of you by bringing you blankets and pillows, or giving you their favorite stuffed animal to ‘help you feel better.’ It is truly a heartwarming thing to experience.”
Image via Creative Commons/Peabody Awards
Erin is the former senior editor and chronic illness editor of The Mighty. She joined The Mighty in 2015 and previously worked at Inside Weddings magazine, Mic, and The Huffington Post. She was also the features editor at The California Aggie, UC Davis' student newspaper. She is honored to be a part of the Mighty community!
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